During
the civil war many soldiers suffered such severe wounds that surgeons
had to remove limbs to save lives. Eye witnesses describe piles of arms
and legs outside makeshift hospitals near the battlefield. Doctors mutilated
men to save their lives. But what if the surgeons wouldn’t cut?
Suppose they ignored infections because they feared the attitudes of those
who saw men disfigured by the knife? Even worse, what if they were quacks
selling snake oil cures with no concern for their patients at all? The
men would die, of course, victims of lethal bacteria.

That’s our
plight in the Church in the United States. The patient is the bride of
Christ, and her diseased limbs are the many dioceses infected with the
corruption of dissent and homosexuality. The doctors are bishops and clergy.
Those who cover up the rot are the quacks. They apply false remedies like
touching programs and mandatory fingerprinting while covering up and enabling
corruption. The true doctors are faithful priests who love the Church
and want to purify her. Instead of thanking their loyal sons, bad bishops
persecute and vilify them. Meanwhile the quacks and charlatans flourish.

How many ways do
bad bishops punish good priests? Take your pick: exile, silencing, mandatory
evaluation at pseudo-psychiatric facilities like St. Luke’s, frequent
reassignment, making them permanent parochial vicars with no hope of becoming
pastors, marginalization, driving them out (to other dioceses or the military
vicariate), whispering campaigns that designate them “mentally unstable”
or “unfit for ministry,” etc. The ultimate punishment, the
bishop’s sword of Damocles, so to speak, is suspension. It hangs
over the head of a good priest who knows his “spiritual father”
will use it. How many orthodox priests hear variations of the threat,
“You have no idea what I can do to you!” But the good priests
do know. They’ve seen the sword fall on their brothers.

Many orthodox priests
live in fear that their bishops will remove their priestly faculties.
Why? Because they are having an affair with a parishioner’s wife?
Because they’re hoarding porno flicks in the closet? Because they’re
letting a homosexual buddy live in the rectory? No! Because they defend
the faith vigorously against the evils of modernism and the homosexual
subculture.

Recently a priest
in Florida, Fr. John Pasquini, e-mailed me asking for help. He’s
in trouble because he wrote to a local newspaper criticizing homosexuality
in the Episcopal Church. But I’ll let him tell the story in his
own words.

“I was assigned
as a parochial vicar at St. Juliana’s Church in West Palm Beach
when the Episcopalian Bishops voted to consecrate an openly homosexual
bishop and approve the blessing of gay marriages. I wrote an editorial
arguing that this was contrary to 2000 years of Christianity, that homosexual
actions are contrary to God’s law, Scripture, natural law and the
complimentarity of the sexes. Shortly after my editorial, the Episcopalian
bishop for the region of Florida wrote a letter to the chan-cery arguing
that my statements were harmful to ecumenism.

“Rev. Alfredo
Hernandez wanted me out of his parish after this incident. His friend,
the Vicar General, Charles Notabartolo, called me out of nowhere and asked
me if I wanted to serve as the chaplain of St. Mary’s Hospital.
I knew immediately what that meant and so I challenged him on the move.
He responded that my editorial letter “was way out of line.”
This now makes sense, since Rev. Notabartolo was accused and settled out
of court a case regarding his alleged sexual advances on another priest
that were rebuffed. Fr. Charles told me that I would never be
a pastor in this diocese. (our emphasis)

“From there
I went to an interview at St. Mary’s hospital. I was kept waiting
in the lobby for two hours and then drilled for one hour in [the interviewer’s]
office. He argued that some on the staff felt that my position on homosexual
actions was troubling. What was supposed to be a formality clearly was
not. I left after being informed they were intending to interview other
applicants.

“At that time
I knew I had no place to go. Fr. Alfredo wanted me out of his parish and
St. Mary’s thought I was too controversial. An interesting side
issue: I once came home early from my day off and there at the dinning
room table playing cards was a legendary group of pro-homosexual priests.
It now all made sense!

I made inquiries
at Ave Maria University, and Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., hired me in January
2004 to serve as an assistant chaplain. I will be eternally grateful to
him. After a short period of time I realized that I missed being a parish
priest and so asked Bishop Barbarito to find me a place. I have been at
St. Jude’s in Tequesta ever since. But I have clearly been “blacklisted”
and “ostracized” by a strong homosexual subculture and/or
pro-homosexual priests. I have applied for pastorates at least 11 times
and have been turned down. I once was the only one to apply for a parish
that no one wanted. The personnel board went out and asked another priest
to take the parish, so that I would never be a pastor. Just recently,
they gave a parish to a priest who was ordained only two years. I have
given up on applying.

“This hatred
echoes amongst many of the pro-homosexual agenda priests. I was giving
a talk at a parish recently. Afterwards the priest came out and confronted
me with the most vile and vulgar of curse words. He literally kicked me
off his property, threatening to call the police if I didn’t leave!”

Fr. Pasquini lives
in constant fear of removal as do many of his faithful brothers around
the country. Few speak out. Our readers know the pitiful saga of Fr. James
Haley, removed from ministry in Arlington in 2000 for asking Bishop Paul
Loverde to take action against a succession of immoral pastors with whom
Haley was assigned. They included an adulterer and two porn addicts, one
of whom embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. Lawrence.
Fr. Haley’s case remains unresolved. Fr. Joe Clark, suspended by
Bishop Loverde for correcting the liturgical abuses of a permanent deacon,
also remains in limbo after nearly ten months. It seems unlikely these
priests will be reinstated without outside intervention.

Farther north, in
the diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Bishop Joseph Adamec has targeted at
least three good priests: Fr. John Nesbella, Fr. James Foster, and Msgr.
Phillip Saylor. In 2003 the “Priests Federation,” an anonymous
group claiming to represent 26 diocesan clergy, distributed a letter calling
for the immediate suspension of Frs. Nesbella and Foster for “repeated
and constant acts which threaten the unity of our community of faith,”
i.e., addressing the scourge of homosexuality in the diocesan clergy.
This lavender cabal demanded the diocese settle all cases against homosexual
abusers out of court to protect their reputations, a move designed to
maintain the status quo of cover ups. They also called for seminary gatekeepers
to screen out candidates unable “to serve in the church of Vatican
II.” It is ironic to note three years later that the demand of homosexuals
to lynch two orthodox priests was carried out. Both Fr. Nesbella and Fr.
Foster are gone. Fr. Nesbella’s case is a little murky. He sued
the diocese in civil court because he was molested by a priest as a teenager.
Sadly, the suit lent justification to Adamec’s suspension. Orthodox
priests have little recourse. They’re damned whatever they do. Unlikely
to receive justice in canon law courts, they are condemned if they turn
to the civil courts.

Msgr. Saylor got
in trouble in 1994 for telling the truth when he testified in the trial
of homosexual predator, Fr. Francis Luddy, who was convicted of abuse.
Under oath, Saylor said he informed superiors of priestly pederasty in
the diocese, a fact conflicting with statements of Bishop James Hogan
and other Church leaders. In 1999 Adamec retaliated by imposing a precept
of silence on Msgr. Saylor under threat of suspension and excom-munication.
Adamec told the priest he, “may not publish any writing or take
part in any radio or television program without the permission of the
Diocesan Bishop.” Rod Dreher of The Wall Street Journal, Paul Likoudis
of The Wanderer, and Catholic World Report Editor, Domenico Bettinelli,
have all written about Adamec’s disgraceful record in Altoona. Cases
in other dioceses include Fr. Paul Weinberger in Dallas and Fr. Robert
Altier in Minneapolis both of whom we wrote about last issue. (See www.desertvoice.org
for updates on Fr. Altier.) Other shameful cases include Fr. Andrew Dowgiert
in Miami, Fr. George Parker in Norwich, and Fr. Joe Baca in Fresno.

These public cases
are just the tip of the iceberg. Most persecuted priests fly under the
radar screen. Their bishops deny them pastorships, forbid them to engage
in media apostolates, post them to jails and nursing homes, and generally
make them outcasts. In dioceses with a heavy concentration of homosexual
priests persecution by their clerical brothers adds to the stress. These
situations get little or no publicity and abused priests often avoid attention
for fear of even greater retaliation. This contributes to the “damaging
culture of silence” Fr. Jerry Pokorsky described in the August/September
2005 issue of Catholic World Report.

Faithful priests
sometimes see the writing on the wall and get out. E.g., Bishop Loverde
hired a professional fundraising company, Community Counseling Services
(CCS) at the cost of several million dollars, to run his Rooted in Faith
Capital Campaign. Pastors were obliged to add to their daily duties onerous
fundraising calls and meetings. Laity in each parish were identified and
trained with elaborate marketing techniques to put the financial touch
on fellow parishioners. Most pastors did it by the book. One administrator
did not. Instead, he made a direct pulpit appeal to his people. Without
all the folderol he surpassed the campaign goal at his parish proving
one can raise money without paying millions to a professional fundraiser
whose other clients include a broad range of dubious environmental groups.
In a bureaucracy, however, it’s a capital crime to deviate from
the rules. Bishop Loverde transferred Father and demoted him to parochial
vicar, making him the only member of his seminary class not to lead a
parish except for another priest casualty who ended up leaving the priesthood
altogether. Father is not currently serving in the diocese. Will he return?
Who knows?

Some persecuted priests
have filed recourses in Rome, but the Vatican has two speeds: slow and
stop. Fr. Haley has been fighting his situation for five years with no
end in sight. After ten months and a visit to Rome, Fr. Clark’s
case appears no nearer to resolution. As a good solid priest said recently
when I expressed frustration about the many injustices to our clergy,
“If the Holy See won't come to the rescue, who will?” Who
indeed?

One thing is evident.
Our good priests need to be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves. So
do the laity. We need to protect priests by acting like Joseph during
the years of plenty in Egypt. Fill the granaries when the harvest is good.
Most of us only make noise when things are a mess. We need to praise good
priests before they’re in trouble. Does Father preach well? Tell
the bishop. Are his Masses reverent? Does he offer frequent hours of Confession?
Does he work untiringly for the parish? Tell the bishop. In fact, thank
the bishop for assigning him to your parish. Gratitude not only builds
up our good priests, but writing it down protects them from being accused
of having “issues” or being “unfit for ministry.”

Finally, to put persecution
in perspective we need to remember Jesus’ words. “If you find
that the world hates you, know it has hated me before you. If you belonged
to the world, it would love you as its own….Remember what I told
you: no slave is greater than his master. They will harry you as they
harried me….I have told you all this to keep your faith from being
shaken.” (John 15)

It’s a tragedy
when persecution comes from within, but we should expect it. Jesus was
betrayed by the religious elders who viewed life, not from Yahweh’s
perspective, but from the world’s. Even for pagans, the most acute
suffering always comes from the betrayal of friends. “Et tu, Brute?”
But suffering is also redemptive. It may well be the suffering of our
good priests under unjust persecution that ultimately brings a deluge
of grace and a new Pentecost for the Church. As Pope John Paul II wrote
in Veritatis Splendor, “All Christians must be ready to
give every day even at the price of suffering and great sacrifices. One
needs, at times, a truly heroic determination, also in daily life, not
to give in to the difficulties that push one to compromise, and to live
the Gospel ‘sine glosa.’”

May the wounds of
our faithful, persecuted priests shine like those of our Lord after the
Resurrection. On the road to Emmaus, the brothers recognized Jesus in
the breaking of the bread. Wasn’t it because they saw the holes
in his hands as he offered the blessing? God will ask on judgment day
to see the injuries we suffered for love of Him. Our wounds, like those
of the Civil War soldiers, testify to our service. Those in the Church
Militant who engage the enemy can’t avoid them. Our good priests
are the battalion leaders on the front lines. May they bear their wounds
(especially when they’re stabbed in the back) with courage and fidelity
as a powerful witness to the Savior they so faithfully serve.